Women of K-Pop

Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of K-Pop girl groups. Usually, I listen to more boy groups and male soloists, but the girls of K-Pop, past and present, have had my attention over these past few weeks. With it having been International Women’s Day over one week ago (March 8), what better time than now to shine a spotlight on some great tracks from the women of K-Pop? 

“BUTTERFLY” - STAYC

In 2022, STAYC’s second EP Young-Luv.com, projected the beautiful B-side track “BUTTERFLY” into the world of K-Pop music. The fifth track on the EP, “BUTTERFLY” is a slow tempo, R&B song that extremely differs from STAYC’s more upbeat and catchy tracks like “Poppy” and “Bubble.” The song beautifully captures the strong vocals of STAYC, intricately showcasing each member’s delicate vocal range, especially the heavenly voice of member Sieun and her standout high notes that grab your attention in the song. 

“Enough” - APINK

From their 2019 EP PERCENT, Apink’s single “Enough” flourishes with a retro style that incorporates a mix of piano, guitar, drums, bass, and a cowbell-like sound into its instrumentation. “Enough” highlights the members’ vocals with stunning harmonies and high notes, as well as demonstrating their ability to explore new sounds with the song leaning into a groovy, R&B, pop, fused beat. Apink has never been known for rap but “Enough” also features a surprising yet incredible soft rap section from members Chorong and Namjoo. This contributes towards “Enough” being an unforgettable Apink track, with Chorong having also participated in the writing of the song. 

“Thirsty” - aespa

aespa channeled R&B goddesses in their single ‘Thirsty,” the fourth track from their 2023 third mini-album MY WORLD. “Thirsty” accentuates the smooth vocals of Karina, Winter, Ningning, and Giselle, highlighting impressive vocal runs, strong harmonies, and addictive raps, against the track’s laid back, R&B beat. The song carries a nostalgic feel to it with influences of nineties and noughties girl group R&B while being a track that could dominate regional and international radio airplay of today, if given the chance. 

Honing in on the nostalgia, aespa released a track video for “Thirsty” that pays homage to the hit USA sitcom Friends, with visuals that perfectly fit the vibe of the song.

Edited by Cara Musashi